Josh Richardson knows that amount of turnover isn’t ideal.
New coach. New position. Nine new teammates.
“Just crazy,” the Tennessee senior said on Oct. 16 at UT’s basketball media day. “It’s all happened really fast.”
But as much alteration that exists among the fresh names on the roster and the new coaches on the bench, it’s Richardson’s role on this year’s team that could ultimately prove to be the largest modification.
With future NBA draft picks Jordan McRae and Jarnell Stokes headlining the offensive production at a combined 34 points per game last season, Richardson’s scoring prowess often took a back seat. As one of the SEC’s premier lockdown defenders, the Edmond, Okla. native became more accustomed with suffocating elite scorers, not going toe-to-toe with them on the offensive end.
But Stokes now dons the baby blue of the Memphis Grizzlies, McRae the black of Australia’s Melbourne United.
And it’s been primarily bestowed upon Richardson to color in the white spots.
“It’s different,” said Richardson of changing from a defensive wizard to more of an offensive threat. “I don’t let any of that get to my head though, so I just stay even-keeled about it. And just approach everyday the same.
“Coach (Donnie) Tyndall did a good job of staying in my head about that. Last couple years, everybody knows that if I missed like two shots, I just wouldn’t shoot anymore the rest of the game. So I feel like we can change that this year.”
But Richardson certainly isn’t coming in cold.
In the 2014 NCAA tournament, he averaged 19.3 points per game in contests against Iowa, Massachusetts, Mercer and Michigan. The crown jewel performance arrived in the Round of 32 as Richardson poured in a career-high 26 points in an 83-63 win over the Bears, sending UT to its first Sweet 16 since 2010.
“That was a big confidence boost, just knowing I can play at that level every night,” Richardson said. “I did it like four games straight, so just staying in attack mode I think is the biggest part because I’m kind of a passive person.
“In the game, I would just kind of float through it at times, but just staying in attack mode at all times will help me this year.”
Early evidence suggests that Richardson will meet that sizeable offensive requirement— even if the points arrive from a still relatively unfamiliar position.
In exhibition tune-ups against Pikeville and Lenoir-Rhyne, Richardson was the Volunteers’ makeshift point guard — a role he hadn’t played regularly since high school. As the pilot of UT’s offense, he played a team-high 31 minutes in each game, pouring in a combined 29 points with only four turnovers.
Then came time to battle a much more ferocious animal.
Against No. 15 VCU in Friday’s season-opening loss, the product was much less promising. With their defense rebranded as one of “havoc” and confusion, the Rams surrendered 17 points to Richardson but forced him into seven turnovers to go along with just three assists.
But Tyndall fully realizes VCU’s legitimacy and isn’t ready to submit a final grade on Richardson’s point guard play after just one subpar outing.
“Well it’s hard to really hard to evaluate any point guard because (VCU’s) going to press you 94 feet,” Tyndall said Monday. “They’re going to speed you up, and you never really get into your half-court offense. So Josh I thought played well but had seven turnovers. That’s what VCU does.
“I think Josh is getting better and better at that position. We don’t expect Josh to be Chris Paul tomorrow. It’s going to take time.”
Unfortunately, Richardson doesn’t have much of that remaining. Including tonight’s home opener versus Texas Southern, the 6-foot-6, 200-pound senior is guaranteed just 30 more games in his collegiate career — one that’s ending with little resemblance to how it stood just one season ago.
But Richardson isn’t worried about the team’s massive overhaul anymore.
There just isn’t enough time for that.
“I think coach Tyndall’s done a good job of putting together a good team,” Richardson said. “From the first time they’ve stepped on campus to now, they’ve came light years. So we have a lot more potential than I expected.
“It feels a lot different, but at this point, I wouldn’t trade it for anything else.”
